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Space heater trips inverter breaker (R-Pod 195)

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offgrid View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Space heater trips inverter breaker (R-Pod 195)
    Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 1:38pm
Originally posted by Pod_Geek

  

Excellent suggestion, but sounds like a task for a master RV electrician.  I'm a geologist.

When the outlets were nonfunctional we ran the space heater at 1/2 power (draw = 7 or so amps) off of an extension cord plugged in to a 20-amp circuit and run through the back-left window by the bed (opened it just enough and sealed off the rest of the opening from the outside). Kept the R-Pod nice and warm.

Maybe that will be our solution when on shore power...I would hate to trip that breaker again because it's a total pain to get to.  Alternatively, maybe a much smaller space heater would do the trick.  7-8 amps < 12 amps, but still...

When not on shore power the propane heater would be in play of course.  Also, the TV draws about 1 amp when 120v is available, so on battery it should draw 10 amps, correct (120v/12v = 10x the amp draw I believe)?  That means if the battery is rated at, say, 100 amp-hours then running the TV for two hours at night would draw the battery down about 20%.  That's in addition to any other 12v draws.

During the day the battery would be partially replenished by the solar.  Yesterday about 9 amp-hours were sent to the battery, and that's with our current very low sun angle, so there is hope...

Hope I've got this right...

I agree that reducing the shore power capacity by installing an undersized inverter/transfer switch seems like a poor design choice.

Besides the TV, what else do you want to be able to run from the inverter (without shore power)? I hate to say this, but if the answer is nothing else and you don't feel comfortable with rewiring some of your receptacles you might be better off to just bypass the inverter and its transfer switch entirely, which would be relatively easy from a wiring standpoint. You can then get a dual voltage TV inexpensively on Amazon or elsewhere which would also be more efficient when running on 12V.  
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Olddawgsrule Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 3:16pm
[/QUOTE]

I agree that reducing the shore power capacity by installing an undersized inverter/transfer switch seems like a poor design choice.

Besides the TV, what else do you want to be able to run from the inverter (without shore power)? I hate to say this, but if the answer is nothing else and you don't feel comfortable with rewiring some of your receptacles you might be better off to just bypass the inverter and its transfer switch entirely, which would be relatively easy from a wiring standpoint. You can then get a dual voltage TV inexpensively on Amazon or elsewhere which would also be more efficient when running on 12V.  
[/QUOTE]

Is there such a TV of quality? Most I find are 19v's... 

I do agree wholeheartedly that if the TV is you main concern, then setting up a simple bypass just for that is pretty easy. Even a Geologist can do it.. LOL. The question becomes can you afford the additional power drain to your power system?

We found that using either the laptop or even the tablet works rather nicely. I broadcast audio to my bluetooth speaker (which is nearby) and away we go into movieland. I find I can get better cell signal than broadcast signal when we boondock. So streaming a movie or live show we live is pretty simple. By this system, I can also stream music, news or weather as I wish. 

Best part for us is we can re-charge as we drive. If on a extended stay, I have a lithium travel battery I can use (mainly the night light and personal fan power).

To each our own as to how we accomplish what we require. 


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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 5:03pm
Originally posted by Olddawgsrule


Is there such a TV of quality? Most I find are 19v's... 

I do agree wholeheartedly that if the TV is you main concern, then setting up a simple bypass just for that is pretty easy. Even a Geologist can do it.. LOL. The question becomes can you afford the additional power drain to your power system?

We found that using either the laptop or even the tablet works rather nicely. I broadcast audio to my bluetooth speaker (which is nearby) and away we go into movieland. I find I can get better cell signal than broadcast signal when we boondock. So streaming a movie or live show we live is pretty simple. By this system, I can also stream music, news or weather as I wish. 

Best part for us is we can re-charge as we drive. If on a extended stay, I have a lithium travel battery I can use (mainly the night light and personal fan power).

To each our own as to how we accomplish what we require. 



The dual voltage TV I got on Amazon has worked fine for me so far. Pretty much all lcd tvs come from China and there really isn't a whole lot to distinguish them in my opinion.  I just buy the cheapest one in the size that I want and call it good. I use my phone with a hdmi adapter for streaming and run the sound through the bluetooth stereo in the trailer. Works fine, and a cell booster brings in sufficient data bandwidth most places I camp. Yep and you can stream music via the bt link too, from outside in the campsite as well as inside. 


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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 5:04pm
Originally posted by Pod_Geek

When not on shore power the propane heater would be in play of course.  Also, the TV draws about 1 amp when 120v is available, so on battery it should draw 10 amps, correct (120v/12v = 10x the amp draw I believe)?  That means if the battery is rated at, say, 100 amp-hours then running the TV for two hours at night would draw the battery down about 20%.  That's in addition to any other 12v draws. 
That's the correct way to calculate the power drain by the TV (1:10 amps). I have a hard time believing that a modern flat panel draws over 100 watts, but I suppose it's possible. The 24" flat panel I'm using right now says 12V at 3 amps, so about 36 watts. Your TV may just be fused at 1 amp, but it doesn't mean it draws that much.

Also, if you pull 10 amps for 2 hours, it would be more like 40% of your battery capacity, as lead-acid batteries should (generally) not be drawn down by more than 50%. You should figure your 100 amp-hour battery is good for about 50 amp-hours before it needs attention.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Pod_Geek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 2020 at 5:28pm
Originally posted by GlueGuy

That's the correct way to calculate the power drain by the TV (1:10 amps). I have a hard time believing that a modern flat panel draws over 100 watts, but I suppose it's possible. The 24" flat panel I'm using right now says 12V at 3 amps, so about 36 watts. Your TV may just be fused at 1 amp, but it doesn't mean it draws that much.

Also, if you pull 10 amps for 2 hours, it would be more like 40% of your battery capacity, as lead-acid batteries should (generally) not be drawn down by more than 50%. You should figure your 100 amp-hour battery is good for about 50 amp-hours before it needs attention.

I used my Kill A Watt while on shore power and the Television registered about 1 amp.  I'll have to try it on the inverter only and see what it draws at 12v.  [Edit...it would still be 120v.  Now I'm confusing myself]

Good news is that I tested the space heater that started all this trouble on 1/2 power on one of the interior outlets while plugged into my home electric and it draws about 6.5 amps (and didn't trip the inverter breaker, not that it should have).  Looks like I won't have to run an extension cord through the window lol.

I'm aware that the battery needs to be maintained above 50%.  I need to investigate whether the solar controller indicates (probably roughly) the remaining capacity.  It indicates current AH input to the battery, total AH input over that last X hours (or maybe during its "charging day"...will have to check on that), and battery voltage.  Manual says a fully charged battery should read > 13.6 volts.  When I retrieved the R-Pod from the dealer (and it saw the sun again) it went in to "Bulk charging" mode, with the light on the controller indicating that the battery was between 11.5 and 12.5 volts.  Not sure how that equates to remaining amp-hours.  Maybe someone can help on this.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 9:14am
The voltage alone is not a very good way to determine the SOC of your battery. You really need other information to understand where it is (like whether there's a load, whether there is any charging going on, and whether it's been "rested").

As for 12V TVs, there are lots of choices. You can go here for a general discussion of the various choices and options, or you can go here and just order one (don't get the 32" version; it looks like that's 120VAC only).
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 9:15am
This should be close. But you need to disconnect the battery from any charge sources or significant loads for about 15-30 minutes first to let it stabilize. 


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Post Options Post Options   Quote Pod_Geek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 10:56am
Originally posted by GlueGuy

...As for 12V TVs...

Problem is I don't have any 12v outlets as it turns out.

Maybe I'll get one of these:

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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 12:42pm
It really isn't hard to install a 12V outlet. If your antenna booster or stereo is near the TV, then you can tap into the 12V there. You will need to see if there is sufficient open space behind the panel to mount a 12V outlet. Something like this will work:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B015CKXU7W/ .

Or, you could install one like this one and get multiple functions from one connection:

Either one connects easily and since there are only two wires (positive and negative) and neither is of such a voltage that could hurt or kill you, it is safe to do.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mcarter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 2020 at 5:03pm
+1 to SH. When I added a 12V receptacle, USB ports and a digital voltmeter, I used my spare slot in the fuse box.
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